ISLAMABAD   -  The senate standing committee on human rights on Monday decided to set a minimum of 18 years age to work under the Islamabad Capital Territory Domestic Workers Bill 2021.  

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Senator Walid Iqbal, here at the Parliament house on Monday. 

“The Islamabad Capital Territory Domestic Workers Bill, 2021” introduced by Senator Sherry Rehman in the senate sitting held on 12th July, 2021, was considered in detail.  Senator Sherry Rehman emphasised that a regulatory framework for domestic workers must be formulated to prevent abuse and maltreatment of the same. 

She further said that there should be laws for the unprivileged class of the country, which they should be aware of. The officials of the Ministry of Human Rights (MoHR) while reviewing the bill prescribed that globally the rights of the domestic workers are protected and discussed under the ILO convention No 189 and Recommendation 201. 

Detailed discussion entailed on the prohibition on employment under the age of sixteen years. The officials of the ministry asserted that after inclusion of child domestic labour in list of prohibited occupation in the Employment of Children Act, 1991, the age of children prohibited to work as domestic workers is fourteen, however it may also be noted that the ILO convention on minimum age declared the minimum age for a child to be able to work to be 15 and the same is reflected in the Punjab Domestic Workers Act, 2019 as well. Senator Prof Dr Mehr Taj Roghani disagreed with the ministry officials on fifteen as the minimum age for a child to be able to work under the ILO convention. It was noted that ILO convention is a UN body and eighteen years is the standard age as per the United Nations on all such matters. 

The Chairman Committee Senator Walid Iqbal highlighted that even as a “child soldier” the combat age is sixteen years, however the committee by majority vote decided that in order to ascertain uniformity with laws such as contract and others amendment in the bill in terms of age should be amended from sixteen to eighteen years as the minimum age to work under The Islamabad Capital Territory Domestic workers Bill 2021.  

The ministry also proposed amendment in section 2 (j) which refers to the companies or agencies engaged in the business of procuring domestic workers and providing relief against any possible violation of labour rights by these agencies. 

The meeting was attended by Senators Muhammad Tahir Bizinjo, Gurdeep Singh, Seeme Ezdi, Abida Muhammad Azeem, Falak Naz, Kamran Michael, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and Senator Prof Dr Mehr Taj Roghani.